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FOCUS on European Art is a charitable organization that promotes education in the arts, with special emphasis on European art and art history. FOCUS sponsors credentialed speakers and supports art education and collections in public art museums by funding acquisitions, exhibitions, conservation, educational programs and other board approved donations.

Officers 2025-2026

President Stephen J. Taddie

Vice President Gwendolyn Tierney

Secretary Alan Fitzgerald

Treasurer Diana W. Worthington

Immediate Past President Phyllis S. Rector

Members-at-Large 2025–2026

Gary Egan
Lynn Gagliano
Matthew Jimenez
Sherry Koopot
Judee Morrison
Michael Sillyman
R. Stephen Wolfe

Board of Directors

 

Egan, Gary

BS Georgetown University Finance; MBA George Washington University. COO/CFO
The Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
Various financial management positions at Georgetown University.
Vice President for Finance and Administration for the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Vice President of Finance at Sun Health Senior Living in Sun City.
CFO  Phoenix Symphony.
Interim CEO/CFO for Southwest Center for HIV and AIDS.
Deputy Director of Finance and Administration at Phoenix Art Museum 2005-2016.
 

G‍agliano, Lynn

BS in Management with a concentration in Accounting from Tulane University; 
Certified Public Accountant (currently inactive); 
6 years working for national accounting firm Arthur Andersen, 
6 years working for regional accounting firm Moss Adams; 
20 years as an Army wife during my husband’s active duty service; 
17 years as a home educator, various volunteer positions in schools and churches; 
Phoenix Art Museum: Docent, Class of 2023
 

Fitzgerald, Alan

Born in Monterey, relocated to Arizona in 1973 for college.  MS, Engineering from ASU.
Founded Adron Corporation in 1985 which specialized in the development and production of solid-state disk technology.
2010 founded Art Intersection with galleries, photography arts lab, and workspace serving both emerging and established artists.
Established, with his wife Sheila, the Neruo Wellness Center in Gilbert, in collaboration with Banner Health, to serve people suffering from neurological movement disorders, principally Parkinson’s Disease.
Alan enjoys flying a general aviaiton airplane and donates flights to transport patients through the Angel Flights West organizaiton.
 
 

Jimenez, Matthew

Brophy College Prep, BS Computer Science Arizona State University. After graduation, worked for The Weitz Company as Network Administrator. Founder Matek Media 2009, an agency for web development, print design and digital marketing.
Extra time spent with wife and two daughters, nine and eleven. Native Arizonan.
 

Koopot, Sherry

BS Wheaton College, Illinois. BSN Nursing at Cal State.
Surgical nurse two years at City of Hope and 14 years at West Suburban Hospital, Illinois.
Volunteer work raising family included Boy Scouts, PTA, School Board Creighton Elementary. Phoenix
Art Museum Docent Class ’89, President 2021-2022.
President and founding member of Friends of European Art.
 

Morrison, Judee

Art Institute of Chicago: Docent 1990 – 2008
Phoenix Art Museum, Docent Emeritus 1980, Circles, Friends of European Art
Saint Barnabas on the Desert: Memorial and Fine Arts Acceptance
Mirabella at ASU: Chairman of Field Trips
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Rector, Phyllis

BA Russian History, Cornell University; MBA Arizona State University.
US-USSR Trade and Economic Council in Moscow more than three years.
In the U.S., principal in factoring business for ten years; bond trader and trading manager.
Phoenix Art Museum: Master Docent ’06, Circles.
Girl Scout Leader; Active at St. Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church.
 

Sillyman, Michael

JD ASU College of Law, Associate Managing Editor of Arizona State Law Journal
Retired Senior Parter, Kutak Rock LLP
Admitted to AZ Bar, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court, and White Mountain Apache Tribal Courts
Past President: Hispanic National Bar Association, Public Lawyer’s Section of Arizona State Bar Association;
Past Chair Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference; Past Vice President on the Board of Trustees for Desert Botanical Gardens.
Currently on the Board of and former Vice President of the Herberger Theater Center
 

Taddie, Stephen J.

BS in Business and Economics from Lehigh University, an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
Certified Business Economist™ (CBE™) and Certified Financial Manager (CFM™).  
Director, FOCUS Partners | Wealth, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Phoenix based Stellar Capital Management prior to fOCUS Partners merger. Panelist for Bloomberg, the NABE and the Blue Chip economic forecasts.
Formerly Madison School District Financial Oversight Committee, Executive Board of the Desert Botanical Garden Foundation, Phoenix Camelback Rotary Club, Junior Achievement, Foundation for Burns & Trauma, coached youth sports teams.
FOCUS Founder.

 

Tierney, Gwendolyn

BA in History; professional outside sales, Systems Analyst/Engineer.  
Phoenix Art Museum: Master Docent ’99.

 

Wolfe, R. Stephen

BS Engineering Penn State University, MBA Arizona State University.
Manufacturing career in Phoenix with Honeywell International; Liaison Honeywell Bull for three years in Paris.
With Inter-Tel, negotiated contracts for telecom hardware in China, Philippines, South Korea, Japan.
Currently, Governance Chair Board of Copper State Credit Union.
Phoenix Art Museum: formerly President Men’s Arts Council; currently, Circles, 21st Century.
FOCUS Founder.
 

Worthington, Diana Welch

BS Business Accounting University of Southern California.
Accountant with Palo Seco Corp., assistant controller Northwestern Development Co.
Principal, Diana Worthington Accounting Company.
National Charity League.
Phoenix Art Museum: Master Docent ’88; formerly active with InFocus, FEA and Contemporary Forum. Currently Circles.
FOCUS Founder.

President's Message

Members and Friends,

FOCUS on European Art has been a stand-alone organization in support of the arts in the Phoenix Metropolitan area for nine years. FOCUS continues to host top speakers at fine venues throughout the Valley, and in the last year has added Member social events, which are more focused on camaraderie. Participation in domestic and international trips is strong, and our curated quarterly newsletter, featuring links to art related news and events, is an acclaimed resource.

We support art education through scholarships to Arizona State University graduate and PhD art history students, have supported installations at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), underwritten the reemergence of European art exhibitions at the Phoenix Art Museum, and this season marks the third annual eminent guest lecture collaboration with the Phoenix Art Museum. New for this year is a facility to accept tax-deductible donations of fine art to help our organization expand its support of both member activities and the local art community.

FOCUS is in transition from Founders and long-term members with deep roots in what was then Friends of European Art to a more diverse membership with wide interests in European arts. Our event content has reflected these broader interests and is expanding the breadth of our art experiences. I welcome those with an interest in helping guide our future and become an active Board Member to reach out to me to discuss.

Your membership and financial support make it possible for FOCUS to multiply the efforts and contributions of many individuals to have a greater impact on the local art community. FOCUS should not be the best kept secret in Arizona! Let’s make it a point to introduce friends and associates to FOCUS. Financial support and personal efforts to expand membership and/or assist at the Board of Directors level are the keys to our future success, and will help us become even more of a catalyst in the local arts community.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of FOCUS on European Art, I thank you for your ongoing interest in the arts, and your support of the organization.

Steve Taddie

President